9 (plus 1) pocket-friendly holiday activities under $50

Yey!!! The holidays are upon us again! It’s coming up next week. If you are, like me, looking for some wallet-friendly ways to entertain the kids, and letting them learn something at the same time, I’ve got recommendations for 9 non-academic holiday activities.

Nature Exploration @ Singapore Botanic Gardens

This is our long-time favourite. Holiday activities range from 1-hour storytelling sessions, tours or craft & drama sessions costing just $6 per child, to 4-hour ‘Celebrating WildLife’ workshops at $50 per child. This holiday, kids attending the these workshops can learn about freshwater streams & ponds, birds of the night and creepy crawlies. 

And if the kids are not tired after the sessions, and you want to do something more exciting, have a little picnic by the Swan Lake where the kids can run amok, or head to Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden. Find out more or register here. 

Science Fun @ Lollipops

Another of our favourites, and we always keep an eye on what they have to offer. For December, kids can learn about life sciences and be ‘Little Doctors’, learn about the science in cooking while making lollipops and edible glass, or learn all about dinosaurs in three sessions. The classes are conducted at various community centres across the island, and prices range between $38 and $50. The 3-day Dinosaur workshop costs between $114 and $130. Members enjoy the cheaper rates. Suitable for kids aged 5 to 10 years old.

Find out more about Lollipops activities here.

Or head to the OnePA site and search for ‘Lollipops’.

Explore Science @ EJ Creators

There are more cost effective courses through the OnePA site, like the ones by EJ Creators. They are holding three types of courses - Amazing Fun to learn about robotics and logical thinking, Eco Kids to learn about to learn about the environment and recycling, and The Fairy Lamp to learn about electronics and have some hands-on experience with light bulbs, batteries and circuits. Prices range between $18 and $23. Suitable for kids aged 5 to 8. Find out more by heading to the OnePA site and searching for ‘EJ Creators’.

Explore STEM @ Bricks 4 Kidz

Some of you might be familiar with Bricks 4 Kidz, which is located at Safra Toa Payoh and Turf City, and focuses on imparting engineering, mechanics and architecture knowledge using LEGO and DUPLO bricks. Holiday workshops at their Toa Payoh branch ranges between $190 and $580. This holiday, however, the folks at Bricks 4 Kidz are bringing two holiday programmes to community centres. These are Despicable Brick Minions, during which kids will create their own minion story with mosaics, create their favourite 3D characters and motorized models. The other workshop is Interesting Inventions, where kids will learn the difference between an invention and a discovery, learn how inventions solve problems, find out how inventors get their ideas patented and even be challenged to invent something or improve something to solve a problem. Prices range between $35 and $58, and the workshops are suitable for kids aged between 5 to 10 years old. Find out more by heading to the OnePA site and searching for ‘Bricks 4 Kidz’.

Science Exploration @ KidsSTOP

Some nice activities here about chemistry, environment and physics. The chemistry workshop looks quite interesting, as the kids will also get to make their own bath salts, while honing their inquiry and investigation skills. Even more intriguing is the physics workshop called Spring Fling Junior. Kids get to play with springs and rubber bands and attempt to make their own toys out of these basic materials. Prices are at $45 for each 2.5-hr workshop, and there are different sessions for different age groups, ranging between 4 and 8 years. Find out more about KidsSTOP activities here.

Chinese art exploration @ InnoArt

Both my kids have been going for holiday art classes elsewhere, and this time, I thought it would be nice if I infuse a little Chinese culture into their holiday programme. What I like about the programme at InnoArt is its flexibility. Kids can sign up for half-day sessions, or even 5-day sessions. Or kids can mix and match several half-day sessions to be exposed to different art forms. Just tell the folks which day or days your kids will be joining. Half day (am) is from 10-12pm and costs $50, while half day (pm) is from 1.30-5.30pm and costs $90. There are different classes for ages 4 to 8 years and 8 to 16 years. Find out more about InnoArt activities here.

Craft and bake @ Spur Box

How about an all-in-one storytime, baking and crafting session, for just $40? The folks at Spur Box have created several Christmas themed Junior Gourmet session where kids between the ages of 2 and 12 years old can listen to stories, bake and craft. Some of these include the Cocoa Logcake session, where kids can listen to the story of The Little Christmas Elf, bake a chocolate log cake and craft and elf key chain. Those who head to the Snowman Cakepops session will listen to the tale of Frosty the Snowman, make cake pops and a snowman craft. Find out more about Spurbox activities here.

Sports activities @ ActiveSG

Want to expose the kids to a plethora of sports activities? ActiveSG has a range of sporting activities such as aquatics, archery, snorkelling, kayaking and ultimate frisbee. There’s even an opportunity to get behind the scenes and find out all about the operation of a public swimming pool and the job of a life guard.

And if you are a Singapore citizen or permanent resident, as well as an ActiveSG member, you can use ActiveSG dollars to offset up to 30% of the programme fees. Find out more about ActiveSG activities here. 

Bouncing Fun @ Beary Fun Gym

Get more trampoline fun and brush those trampoline skills with a 2-hour guided programme at Beary Fun Gym’s Changi outlet. For $30 per session, kids 4 to 10 years old get 1 hour guidance on those jumping skills, and 1 hour of free play. If you prefer for your kids to have better gymnastics skills, then the Bukit Batok branch has a similar 2-hour guided programme which focuses on fitness circuits, parachute games and manipulative games, for just $30 per session. Find out more about Beary Fun Gym activities here. Or check out Beary Fun Gym’s Facebook page.

Speech & Drama @ Magic Moments

So far, many speech & drama holiday courses that I’ve come across cost at least a couple hundred dollars. Imagine my surprise when I found something that cost just $100 for a 3-hour programme over 4 days! Ok, granted, that isn’t exactly less than $50, as this post’s title says. However, if you do the calculation, the average price per day is only about $25. I think that’s extremely economical. This holiday programme is conducted in both English and Mandarin, across several community centres and is suitable for kids aged 4 to 8 years old. Find out more by heading to the OnePA site and searching for ‘Magic Moments’.

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Review: Lollibox Happy Family theme

Since Lollibox pioneered the concept of fun in a box, delivered right to one's doorstep, many similar concepts have emerged. Some have gone quiet, but I'm glad to note that Lollibox still remains strong in the game, and keeps coming up with awesome new ideas, such as craft parties and craft party boxes.

In addition, they don't seem to be sitting in their laurels when it comes to their signature craft boxes. In fact, they do constantly look at ways to improve it, as can be seen with the Happy Family theme box, where they've updated the cover design of the instruction sheets and also redesigned the 'Enrich' activity sheet. With a more vibrant cover design, the instruction sheets retain their detailed feature. There are accompanying pictures for every step, and I like the inclusion of extension activities, like the possible questions to ask to prompt the kids' thinking and response.

The revamped 'Enrich' component is now an activity sheet with three sections of various activities relevant to the theme. For the Happy Family theme, the activities include a maze, drawing a family portrait, and an investigation into whether the family members are right or left-handed. These activities are very different from the previous version, which involved a card of three suggested activities ranging from art, science, fine motor and dramatic play. While the current version is more focused, it would be good that future activities also include science, fine motor and dramatic play suggestions. I believe this will provide more variety to a young mind's learning and discovery.

Now for the activities itself. There are usually two in the box, and depending on the child, these activities can take up to 1.5 to 2 hours to complete. We did the cardboard house first, and EV and AA both assisted with the painting - EV painted the house while AA took responsibility of the roof. It was a rather serious affair for the both of them, as well as for this mummy too, as I tried hard to prevent them from painting themselves, and each other.

They both helped with the paper puppets too, which represented a family of four. AA chopped on them, while EV decided to number them. AA lost interest then, and toddled off to do his own thing. EV persevered, and here she is playing with the cardboard house and paper puppets. She keeps wanting to stuff all the puppets into the 'warmth' of the house.

The next activity was rather interesting too. We drew outlines of our hands, which looked so fun to AA that he returned to get his drawn too. While this mummy was cutting out the hands, EV entertained AA by drawing more outlines of his hand. AA tried to help and ended up outlining on his own hand.

After sticking the hands to the wooden tree stand, we stuck the apples, each representing a family member. I'd ask EV which family member she remembers, she'd identify him or her, I'd write their salutations down, mostly in Chinese, like 妈妈, 爷爷, or 舅舅, then she would stick them on the hands. And the end of it, what we got is a very pretty family tree, literally!

I must say that the activities are quite well-thought out, and fits the theme well. On one hand, I wish the box that the activities came in was smaller, it seems such a waste to use the big box to house two activities, a badge, an instruction sheet and an activity sheet. However, I can understand the rational of having such a box, just in case some themes' activities are bulkier; it makes sense to have a one-size fits all box to fit the different sized activities of different themes. Though I'm not sure about the purpose of the coloured paper strips. If it is just for embellishment purposes, then I personally don't think it's necessary to include it. For one, kids will end up throwing the strips all over the place in the name of fun, plus they will most probably end up in the waste basket, in my opinion, because that's exactly what happened!

Did I mention the badge? Yes I did. I think the badge is awesome as an encouraging 'pat-on-the-back' kind of reward. EV was so proud of herself for completing the activities, that she insisted that I pin on the badge for her immediately after she finished, and wore it throughout that whole day. She was still asking for it for the few days that follow. Just imagine: wouldn't it be awesome to have a series of badges that show achievement and tenacity through such creative activities! I think the kid would be so motivated with high self esteem and confidence!

Special Discount Code!!

Here's a special deal for all ToddlyMummy readers - 10% off storewide! Just enter the discount code TODDLY when you check out (valid till 30 April 2014).

Hope your kid has as much fun as EV and AA had.

Disclaimer: We received a Lollibox Happy Family for review purposes. No monetary compensation was received. All opinions and images are my own.

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Why we love doing art at HeART Studio

EV has been attending class at Heart Studio for the past six months. Her journey has been fun, and for this mummy, extremely amazing as I witnessed the creations of her beautiful art works.

If you are searching for an art school for your kids, and am still deciding, why not consider Heart Studio? Before I proceed, I must state clearly that I am not being compensated by Heart Studio in any way to say this. I am sharing my honest opinions, because I've seen for myself how good Heart Studio is what they do. And I believe that other kids will be able to benefit too, as my little EV has.

So here is why we love Heart Studio.

The teachers are awesome!

At four, EV attends the Little Dali classes for kids between three to 4 years old. The teacher-in-charge, Teacher Syafiq has a reputation of being extremely good with kids, and it is oh-so-true. Recently, Teacher Jay joined the team, and his casual yet patient nature has been a hit with EV too. Both of them are really good at bringing out the hidden artistic talents of the kids, and it’s amazing how their warm personalities appeal to the kids. Many times, I’ve been surprised by the work that EV has achieved, and this is not only because she enjoyed it, but she also liked the teachers. The other teachers who teach the older kids too are equally approachable. And judging from the amazing art works that kids in their classes do, one can tell they are awesome too.

Focus on the child's 'can do' ability, independence and confidence

The atmosphere at Heart is very positive, and the belief is that every child has the ability to do it. Keeping to this, opportunities are given for the child to gain more independence in their own ability, for example, asking them to get their own paintbrushes. Seems rather simple, but it definitely is a much better way of nurturing independence instead of just laying out the brushes before class for the kids. When doing the art work, the teachers only provide guidelines and advice, allowing the kids to learn and do on their own, finish the art work and gain more confidence in their abilities. The fact that projects are theme-based, and kids have the choice to decide what they exactly want to do within that team, it also helps to train the kids to think independently and with confidence.

Slow and steady gets the artwork done

Lessons are revolved around themed art projects. Each term, there are three projects to be completed, and about three to four lessons are devoted to each theme. The first lesson of each theme is spent explaining the basics of the theme, before moving on to the actual art work. For example, the ‘occupation’ theme’s first lesson involved learning the difference between drawing a male and female, and how to draw a body. Kids were tasked to draw their mummies and daddies. This is how EV drew her mummy and daddy. This is an important step, as it teaches the importance of always learning the basic foundation before moving on, such as how to hold a paint brush. The whole process also teaches kids that tasks can and should be broken into smaller steps in order to get it done more successfully. Both are important life skills that kids need.

Boosts creativity, exercises the right brain

With the projects being theme-based, kids have the freedom to choose what they want to create within that theme. This helps to boost their creativity, as they do not need to stick to drawing the exact thing. In fact, the kids even get to decide what details they want to paint in, or whether they want to paint a night or day scene. And since creativity is associated with one’s right brain, that part of the brain is also being exercised at the same time.

Develops perspective

And since kids have the freedom to choose what exactly they want to draw under a particular theme, the end result for each kid is always different. There is no one identical art work, and through this, the young ones will learn that everyone around them is an individual, with different preferences and personalities. They learn that everyone has a different perspectives to the same theme, and learn to respect these different perspectives. This again is an extremely important life skill to have.

Conducive environment with a wide corridor

Heart Studio is not cluttered. Far from it. The whole Studio is very neat and organised, making it a very conducive learning environment. The kids will also learn about being neat and organised. It’s very cosy too. The wide corridor is extremely inviting to the kids, and they do run along it, even though they are told not to do it. But as one hears the kids laughing and giggling, one knows that they are having fun and enjoying the whole process. They are safe too because of the neatness and lack of clutter. And knowing that the folks of Heart Studio have considered this fact makes me feel that they are truly caring for the kids while teaching them art.

That’s why as a parent, I feel comforted when EV attends class at Heart Studio. She’s enjoying herself, she’s learning art and some life skills, but most importantly, she is safe. And I'm heartened to see that her creativity has developed since we started lessons there last September. Find out more from these review posts.

If this sharing has got you interested to find out more, you can do so at their website. The new terms starts next Monday.

Disclaimer: No monetary compensation was received for this post. All opinions and images are my own.

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Thank you for reading. If you like this post, please do connect with me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, so I can share our fun adventures, thoughts and exploits with you. 

Review: Art with heART Studio Little Dali art programme for 3 to 4 years old (Part 3)

We had previously shared with you our adventure at heART Studio (here's Part 1 and Part 2). The adventure continues with Part 3. Slightly late, I admit, because of the December holidays, and our trusted helper being away in her hometown, and then settling the kids in for the new year. But better late than never, right?

Part 3 focuses on the final four weeks of the lessons, where the final art piece is on a canvas, instead of paper. And the topic? Buildings, painted specifically in the style of artist Karla Gerard. I like the fact that EV is also exposed to different artists and their different painting styles, which makes her art education so much richer.

It's heartening to see the kids so interested in it.

Teacher Syafiq was extremely patient in guiding the kids.

He also went the extra mile to explain to them what a canvas is and how it is constructed, rather than just give it to them to paint on. To give the kids some practice in drawing buildings, he got them to first draw buildings using shapes on paper. 

The following week, work began on the canvas (the background was painted the previous week) and EV had to first draw buildings using pastels. Again, Teacher Syafiq spent some time explaining about oil pastels to broaden the kids' knowledge, before getting them to choose colours to use.

 See EV at work here? She's obviously looking very proud of her own art achievement. Something I believe heART Studio has helped develop.

With the buildings drawn and painted, the next thing to do was to add the windows, and this was the focus for the following week. Taking a few weeks to create a single painting may seem long for us adults, but for kids, it's a learning process that needs to be guided step by step, and one realises that the few weeks' duration is actually not that long. It's a realistic time frame in order to inculcate the knowledge and ability in the children. It appears to me that heART Studio had put much thought into the development of its programme, and I'm glad this is the case.

During the final lesson, EV added the trees, stars and moon. Here she is drying her own work, all by herself.

And ta da! The proud girl with her awesome work!

Having attended a whole term of lessons at heART Studio. Here's our verdict. heART Studio is a fantastic place to tap the artistic talent of kids, and you will be surprised at just how well they can do it. I was. Plus the teachers there are really caring, and that makes the Studio a great learning environment.

Disclaimer: We received sponsorship of a term of art lessons under the Little Dali programme by heART Studio. No monetary compensation was received. All opinions and images are my own.

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Thank you for reading. If you like this post, please do connect with me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, so I can share our fun adventures, thoughts and exploits with you. 

Interview: Art from the heart with heART Studio founder Rena Chew

I've been sharing a lot about EV's art adventure at heART Studio - the wonderful teachers, the engaging way that art is taught and not forgetting the spacious and chid-friendly environment. (You can read about it here.) You must be thinking: Who is the inspiration behind heART Studio?

I'm very happy to introduce Rena Chew, founder of heART Studio. This mother of three was a Regional Marketing Manager before starting heART Studio. She became a stay-at-home mum after giving birth to her first child, and has since taken up music movement, speech and drama and classes on inculcating positivity in babies and tots, in the hope of teaching them to her kids in future. A search for a suitable art education for her son led her to set up heART Studio. She shares with us her inspiration.

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What is your view of art education in Singapore?

Art is slowly getting its way into the life of Singaporeans. However , I feel that the Government can do more to promote arts education, besides emphasizing on the academics.

You mentioned before about the 'direction of art education'. What do you mean?

Our direction of art refers to our belief in progressive works, where the child is guided at every step to aid in his or her development in the visual arts, rather than open ended ones.

As a team, what is heART Studio's teaching philosophy when it comes to teaching art?

We believe in building a child's foundation in art. It is just like building skyscrapers, the foundation is important before any creativity can be infused.

The teachers at heART Studio have a good reputation and are very good with children. How did you choose them to work with you? What is their secret?

The most important factor is that the teachers must have the same vision and passion as me. They love and really care for the kids. It is not just a job.

Are teachers important in delivering the art education direction? How do they do it?

Yes, it is extremely important. First of all they must believe and agree in heART Studio's teaching philosophy, and love kids. Only then can they deliver the type of progressive art education that we believe in.

Why are specific teachers chosen to teach specific age groups?

Not all teachers are suitable to teach all age groups. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. Therefore it is important to recognise and take advantage of their strengths, so that they are in the best possible position to provide the best art education they can. It is also important to communicate with the teachers often to know what is best for them.

Why did you set up heArt Studio? What inspired you?

I set up the studio with the intention to help my boy when he was in Primary One. He loves art and had been in another art school for two years but he still could not express himself or his heart’s desires in his drawings. Being a hyper kid, he also struggled with the pressures at school and lost his confident and self esteem. As a mum, it was very sad to see her precious child being the victim of the rat race. Therefore I was very determined to do something for my boy. God gave me vision and gave me an opportunity when I found out that the teachers from his previous art school had left. I quickly searched for them and shared with them my plans for heART Studio.

Why did you choose to focus on art for children between the ages of 3 to 7?

This age group is the most important age as it is best for foundation building. Art not only helps them to de-stress but can also help them in future in the areas of math and language learning. At heART studio, we also help prepare kids who are going into Primary One preparation by teaching science and general knowledge.

What happens after they 'graduate' from heART Studio? Any plans to introduce art for older children or even adults?

After they graduate from heART, if the kids are interested in going to schools like the School of the Arts, we can help prepare them.

Some parents prefer to send their children for swimming or music lessons, and see art as the least important. What would you say to these parents?

Parents know their kids best, so these children may be more kinesthetic or musically inclined, rather than visually.

Any tips for parents to extend the art teaching at home, in between classes at heART Studio?

We debrief parents after every class so that they can try out the same method at home and enjoy drawing and painting with their children.

Thank you Rena, for taking time to do this interview.

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Thank you for reading. If you like this post, please do connect with me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, so I can share our fun adventures, thoughts and exploits with you. 

Review: Art with heART Studio Little Dali art programme for 3 to 4 years old (Part 2)

EV's art adventure at heART Studio seems to get better and better. I like to observe her quietly while taking photos for this series. Sometimes, I look in from the window. What impresses me is her confidence in executing the tasks given to her. Sure, sometimes she may pretend a little to get Teacher Syafiq's attention, but the comfort and dexterity at which she draws her shapes and colours them impresses me. That's why I think the decision to send her to heART Studio was a right one; even if I am able to teach her, our relationship means that many times, EV will try to worm her way out and say 'I don't know how'. Here at the studio, she doesn't even want to.

The next theme is reflections (Read about the first theme on Shapes here). So simple, yet concept that is often overlooked. Teacher Syafiq had some cute illustrations up on the whiteboard, and he even made himself a topic when explaining about the concept, asking of there was one oe two of him. The kids answered two, and with Teacher Syafiq's stunned expression, they giggled. He explained that there is only one of him and that the other is a reflection. Just so the kids can experience it themselves, he had a mirror on hand to let them look at their own reflection. Again, there were beautiful scenic examples of trees and a frog and their reflections on water.

As the basics were being established in this lesson, the kids worked on a A5 sheet of paper. They had to draw a horizontal line across, representing the water line, and then three semicircles above it. Each semicircle was coloured with different tones of the same colour, for example red and pink.

Then the paper was flipped, and with clear step-by-step instructions, the kids used water colours to paint the semicircles' reflection and water. Dashes of white paint was added to resemble the flickering reflection that is produced when light shines on water.

Isn't this good practice for the first lesson on reflections. I can't wait to see what art work EV would be working on.

The following week came quickly, just as we hoped. We usually get to the Studio early, because eager EV never waits to get out of the house. Good too, because it gives her time to settle down and settle in before class.

As a start, Teacher Syafiq did a quick recap of the previous lesson and asked the kids what they remembered. This is important as the kids need to reflect on past experiences to help them learn.

The artwork of the day was to draw a scenery consisting of hills and mountains and of course a lake for the reflection, much like the sample pictures that is shown on the wall. A mixture of water colours and oil pastels was used, for the background and to create the texture of the mountains and hills. The kids also got to choose whether they wanted their art works to be a day or night scene. EV chosen day. I think this is really important as it gave her true ownership of the art.

To create the little flowers on the grass, a chopstick was used to lightly dab yellow paint. It looked fun, and I think the kids agreed, as they started to dab on the respective art works in Ernest while giggling with glee, which then led to a game of catching as they went to the pantry to wash their hands.

Have I said that parents are very involved at this Studio? After every class, the teacher will explain what was taught for that day so that parents can do similar art works as practise at home. Super nice, in my opinion. I could also see the EV's art progress for myself.

So the following week, the focus was on finishing the art work by painting in the reflection, adding the little white streaks to resemble the water's reflection and dabbing in little red flowers. EV was making so much noise, my goodness, I almost thought she became the teacher leading the class into mischief.

Mischief was indeed what she got into, as she ran with her friends round the Studio, laughing and talking very loudly. It was all in the name of fun. Clearly, she enjoyed the company, and working on her brilliant art work. I'm so proud of her.

Stayed tuned as we bring you more of this Art with heART Studio series in the coming weeks. Till then, have an artful weekend!

Disclaimer: We received sponsorship of a term of art lessons under the Little Dali programme by heART Studio. No monetary compensation was received. All opinions and images are my own.

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Thank you for reading. If you like this post, please do connect with me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, so I can share our fun adventures, thoughts and exploits with you. 

Review: heART Studio Little Dali art programme for 3 to 4 years old (Part 1)

As you might have read here and here, EV has been taking part in heART Studio's holiday programmes. And you know how she loves her Teacher Syafiq and how her mummy has a good impression of not only the teacher, but the studio itself.

But how about the actual term lessons at heART Studio? EV recently signed up for one term of the three to four year old Little Dali classes. I will be documenting what was taught, as well as her progress and development during this period. It would be great if you can join us in this journey.

EV's art adventure at heART started in the end of September and at first she seemed a little hesitant. After all, about two weeks since she was last at the studio, since she last met Teachet Syafiq. She was checking the whole new experience and wondering what she is there for. Of course, she's assessing her new classmates too. Are they fun to be with? Of course they are, and by the end of the lesson, she was playing catching with them along the studio's spacious corridor.

The first theme for the term is shapes, and I was glad to see what transpired. An art class at heART Studio is not all about art; EV even got an opportunity to practice her writing when she wrote the word 'shapes', with guidance from Teacher Syafiq, who drew dots for her to trace.

Teacher Syafiq introduced the various shapes, such as square, triangle, circle, heart, star, oval and many others. He demonstrated how to draw them and got the kids to draw them themselves. They also drew a shape within a shape. I was glad to see EV acting on the instructions very quickly and draw independently. 

Despite the kids being somewhat distracted at times, asking him endless questions, Teacher Syafiq was extremely patient, guiding and helping each child along the way. 

After drawing the shapes, the kids were taught warm and cool colours. What I liked about it is the use of examples to help the kids connect to what they are familiar with in the real world. For example, when talking about the colour orange, a photo of oranges was shown. Usually at home, I would just ask EV to choose a particular colour. I didn't think about showing her the difference between the colours in this way, and I'm glad that coming to heART Studio has given me another idea to reinforce her knowledge of colours.

The first lesson focused on establishing the basic knowledge of shapes and colours. The second and third lesson was devoted to actually creating an artwork based on what was learnt in the first lesson - a combination of shapes and colours. As you can see here, Teacher Syafiq is pointing out how shapes like circles, triangles and semicircles work together to create an abstract landscape picture of the land, mountains and sky. 

Using oil pastels and cool colours of blue, purple and green, EV created the land and mountains of the art work. The sky was to be completed in the next lesson.

Another thing I like about heART Studio is how pictures and drawings relevant to the theme or task of the lesson are put up on the wall. 

See how EV is skipping with glee here? It was Children's Day week, and as a treat, each kid was given a bottle of soap bubbles and a pencil. EV kept holding on to her bubble bottle all the way home.

The following week, EV was all eager to start the art lesson, and complete her art work. This is enough evidence to tell me that the Little Dali programme is extremely suited to her. Her good rapport with Teacher Syafiq also means that she is ever ready to listen and learn, an important aspect in a teacher-student relationship. As she often tells me: 'I like Teacher Syafiq'. See her broad smiles here?

This is EV's final work. Amazing!!! I really don't think I will be able to help her create something like this at home on my own. If you don't already know, I'm a klutz at art, and only rediscovered a tiny sliver of my creativity after EV was born. To teach EV and guide her to create something like this? Nah… only the experts at heART Studio are able to do it.

See the picture on the right? I just absolutely love to see her in action like this, so full of concentration.

Oh, and there's another fun thing that EV has come to like at heART Studio, and it's the punch-in-punch-out machine. It's unusual, but yet so much fun. It gives kids like EV a sense of independence and accomplishment.

Want to find out more about the rest of EV's art adventure at heART Studio? Stay tuned for the remainder of our four part series on the Little Dali programme.

Disclaimer: We received sponsorship of a term of art lessons under the Little Dali programme by heART Studio. No monetary compensation was received. All opinions and images are my own.

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Thank you for reading. If you like this post, please do connect with me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, so I can share our fun adventures, thoughts and exploits with you.